This novel gets creepier and creepier the further you get into it. An entire town is obsessed with getting one of its citizens to paint pictures for reasons she doesn't even begin to understand.

Reviewed by: Caroline Tesauro

Cell is a book like many other Stephen King books. Something goes crazy, people die, and then...well, I don't want to give away the ending, because to see how things ended is really the only reason I stuck with this book. Cell's plot sounds promising: somehow a transmission or "pulse" is sent out that turns anyone who uses a cell phone into a mindless psychopath. The main characters run for their lives. But then the nature of the problem changes: the crazies stop, well, being quite so crazy and develop a kind of hive mind. While this could sound interesting, the plot falls flat. There is still motivation, the main character wants to find his son, but no real exciting drive. The characters wonder what's going on, and lo and behold, it comes to them in a dream, or someone figures it out. The ending is surprising, and if you want something to read to pass the time, sure, pick up this book, but if you're looking for something more interesting or thrilling, pick up one of King's earlier books. And if you still want to know what happens in the book, it's already been optioned for a movie deal, so you'll only have to wait a year or two to find out. Reviewed by: Kelly K.

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I found The Ruins to be a very satisfactory horror-suspense novel – it was well-written and certainly kept me absorbed until the very end. I felt the suspense side was probably more successful than the horror – it’s not the sort of story that would keep you awake at night. In fact, it might have been just as successful without a supernatural element at all. What made it compelling was the psychology of the characters, and how they responded under stress (if only The Blair Witch Project had been as well thought-out!) – also the curious and cumulatively sinister emphasis on the inability of characters to communicate. I also liked the Mexican setting a lot. Now I’m eager to read A Simple Plan, Smith’s previous novel. Reviewed by: J. Adler